Sweet Intoxication
by xSweet Allure
Summary: When your best friend Miroku is the Phantom of the Opera, and he's having the most amazing love affair with a chorus girl named Sango, one can't help but want some lovin' too. Strange Duet based. [InuKag][MirSan]
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Inuyasha, nor do I own Phantom of the Opera…so stop rubbing it in!

**A/N**: To all of you who read _Strange Duet_ and were wondering why it lacked Inuyasha and Kagome romance, this is for you. To those who didn't read _Strange Duet_, its simple- Miroku was the Phantom, Sango was Christine and Kagome was Meg. Inuyasha had a similar role to Nadir, a character used in the Phantom of the Opera novels, but if you haven't read any of the versions, that all right. Nadir was sort of like a friend to Erik (the Phantom). With this being said, Inuyasha is Miroku's friend. Feel free to check out _Strange Duet_ if you get lost, but I don't think you will.

Sweet Intoxication

By The Sweet Allure of Lady Red Death

**Prologue**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Inuyasha sat cross-legged on the floor, his bottom lip curling into a pout. He should've left when he had the chance, because _obviously_,no one in the palace even noticed he existed. And when they did, he was just an object to laugh at. He sighed, turning his head towards the window. It shined gloriously as the afternoon light beamed through it. _'It's a pretty nice day out,' _Inuyasha considered, _'I might as well enjoy it. I can't stand being inside this hell hole.'_

Passing through the corridor, Inuyasha slipped out into the gardens. He debated whether or not to lean his back up against one of the giant, architectural columns and relax. But Inuyasha quickly decided against it. The pillar looked like it was ready to fall down. At any moment, it would be sent plummeting to the ground- a product of inferior design, poor materials and idle workmen. Japan was slowly loosing its motivation, wasn't it? Inuyasha snorted at the thought and walked on.

"Father, when I am old enough, will you give me the mighty Tetsusaiga?"

Inuyasha stopped in his tracks. The furry white dog ears atop his silver-haired head began to twitch.

"Father…don't you want me to have it? It would be in much better hands with me, rather than my insignificant little brother—"

"Now, Sesshomaru," a deeper voice was heard. A male, most definatley. "You know I need that in order to protect Izyumi." He paused, "And I won't have you talking about Inuyasha like that!"

"I honestly don't give a crap, Dad." Inuyasha huffed, walking over. He stood beside his father obediently. "He can say whatever he wants, don't bother me any." Sesshomaru's golden eyes narrowed into slits as he mouthed a couple of profound words, meant to be directed at Inuyasha.

"Boys!" Inutaisho bellowed, indicating quite strongly that he was annoyed. He quickly shook his head and sighed. "As long as you're here, son, have you gotten the information that I've requested?" The youkai asked the younger of the two, who nodded without need of speech.

"So it is true, then," mused the lord thoughtfully, "he does indeed exist, this miraculous magician who sings like a god and performs wonders beyond all imagination. Your mother will be delighted! This is exactly what she needs to cure her health! This man must be brought here at once, but how to get him here?"

As soon as Inutaisho finished, Inuyasha cried out, "I'll do it! I will find this so called _Miroku—"_

Sesshomaru laughed cruelly, "Don't be foolish Inuyasha. That is servants work!"

"Anything to get out of here!" Inuyasha shouted, spraying the air softly with saliva. Sesshomaru winched and took a step back, distancing himself.

Inutaisho blinked several times. "Inuyasha," he said understandingly, "Is this what you truly desire? Of course, you _will_ return once you've found him."

"Yeah, sure," Inuyasha replied lowly.

"Then I intend to entrust this little matter to be in your worthy care." His father continued, placing a clawed hand on Inuyasha's right shoulder.

"Well then, he will be missed." Sesshomaru lied, smiling.

"And you will go with him." Inutaisho added, without looking at him.

Sesshomaru instantly paled.

Inuyasha smirked and shook his head. "Nah, Sesshie wouldn't survive out there in the real world. Don't do it to him, Dad. He's not ready for it." Inuyasha shrugged Inutaisho's hand off of him and strode over to Sesshomaru. He then laughed in his face. Sesshomaru scrunched up his nose in disgust and fled to his room, embarrassed.

Inutaisho placed his head in his hand. '_They'll never change,_' he thought hopelessly.

"You will prepare to leave for the journey at once," he said, feeling tired.

"What ever you want, my lord." Bowing himself out backwards, Inuyasha's foot trod on something long and sinewy. There was a spitting screech of rage and an unsheathed claw lashed at the bare skin above Inuyasha's ankle. Ahh, it was yet another infernal cat! Damn strays!

"You are quite clumsy today, son."

Inuyasha mumbled a couple of foul words. How he loathed cats! And rightfully so, for Inuyasha was a dog hanyou and why his father had tolerated them so calmly, was a mystery to the 17-year-old.

"You will bring Myogua with you." Inutaisho's voice snapped Inuyasha back into reality with a sudden jolt.

"That damn flea?" Inuyasha complained, but Inutaisho dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

* * *

He knocked softly on the door. 

"Come in," said a hushed voice from behind.

Inuyasha entered.

For three days she had lived in a state of cruel semi unconsciousness, forced to relive in her dreams the absolute regret that was suffocating her.

On the third day, she lost the little control she had left over her mind. She had been screaming, raving for hours, the sweat dripping from her body and soaking the linens around her. Her blank eyes slightly widened with joy as she whispered, "Inuyasha, my dear… " The woman on the bed groped the air and reached out for him, desperately.

He knelt beside the nightstand and grasped her hand tightly. "Mother…I'm going away for awhile."

At first, she gazed at him dazedly. It took a moment for his words to sink in, and when they finally did, Izyumi went rigid beneath him. "You can't," she murmured through icy lips. "Inuyasha, you simply can't!"

Inuyasha cooed, "Mother, it won't be that long. You won't even notice I'm gone…" He brushed the sweat slicking hair off of her reddened cheeks and kissed her hand. "I promise, I'll come back."

"Well you shouldn't!" Izayoi snapped.

Inuyasha gasped.

"Oh, no, my son!" She corrected through chocked sobs, "I mean you shouldn't _have to_ come back. I know as well as you do that you hate it here. Inuyasha, I see how horribly they treat you; the names the servants call you. The _servants_, Inuyasha!" Izayoi wept harder. "I'm such a horrible mother, falling for a demon when I am nothing but a mere, weak human!"

Inuyasha felt a sting of pain in his heart. "Mother, don't say that! You're the best, and I don't care what those idiots say about me. They're bastards!"

"Inuyasha, dear, please don't use such language around me." She sniffled.

Inuyasha handed her a hankerchief from the nightstand, "Sorry."

Silent tears continued to crawl down Izayoi's face, "I can't believe your father allowed you to do this," she paused in order to blow her nose, "I hope Myogua is to assist you."

Inuyasha nodded.

Izayoi tilted her head up to him. "Then I suppose I feel a bit better…" She said half-heartedly, pulling the blankets up to her chin.

"I promise I'll come back to you." Inuyasha assured, gently kissing her damp forehead

And she believed him.

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry if it was short, but prologues generally are. I promise that the story will get more interesting the more it progresses. And yes, I do know that Inuyasha's mother died when he was a child. She dies much sooner than I'll make her, but I had to make some changes so that everything would fit right. 

Please review! At the end of this fanfiction, I will thank everyone who reviews, as I did with _Strange Duet_!

Christine


	2. Chapter I

**Chapter I**

.-.-.-.-.

Inuyasha preferred to dine alone. For this reason, a small dining room was sufficient. He took one last look around the threshold and sighed. The clinking of his fork as it clashed against china was a harsh sound. It broke through the thick silence without warning. Inuyasha winched and pushed his ramen away from him. He wasn't that hungry anyway.

All right, so maybe he didn't like to eat alone… but there was a lot on his mind.

Just then, a young girl, fourteen or so, came scurrying out from behind a large, oak door. Her dark brown hair was tied up by a light, pinkish colored bandana, which she wore around her head. The woman looked severely shaken as she maneuvered around the furniture and up to the front of the 8-foot long table where Inuyasha sat. She nearly tripped over a chair leg while doing so.

"Inuyasha…Inuyasha are you really leaving?" She gasped, trying to grab onto the edge of the table in order to keep from falling.

Inuyasha snorted and clutched her kimono, pulling her upward with swift ease.

He shook his head, "Baka, you're too clumsy."

There was a pause— due to embarrassment and then, "Oh, Inuyasha-kun, it's raining far too heavily out! You can't leave today!" Hands clasped together in order to plead for him to stay. Knees were prompt if groveling was needed.

"Feh! Why do you care so much?" Inuyasha asked, eyes widening in surprise. He slowly let go of the girl's clothing and crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation of some kind.

But instead, she responded with a, "You haven't touched your food! Is it too cold?" She reached over immediately and started poking at the long, stringy noodles with care. "I could heat it up for you if you'd like!"

Annoyed now, Inuyasha snatched the bowl out of her hands and slid it across the table. "Koharu…what's going on?"

Koharu stared at the, quite distant, ramen bowl for a moment, and then back to him. She fluttered her eyelashes, innocently. Placing a finger to her bottom lip, she softly murmured, "What do you mean, my lord?"

His furry, white dog ears twitched at the sudden bashfulness in her voice.

"I'm just…going to miss you, that's all." Koharu finally admitted under Inuyasha's questioning glare. Her cheeks burned like fire as she tried to obscure her face with her left arm. Koharu's irregular tone soon became a series of choked sobs, which caught our hanyou off guard as he tried to console her.

"H . . . hey, stop crying! I ain't dying!" were the poetic words that flowed from his mouth. "St…stop it! I hate it when women cry!"

But this only made her shrieks louder. Koharu collapsed to her knees and grabbed the hem of Inuyasha's robe of the fire rat, given to him— by his father— for the journey.

"You can't leave me with lord Sesshomaru! You can't!" She tugged so hard on it that it almost made Inuyasha fly off his chair. "He's so…so _mean_, Inuyasha! He hates me!"

'_I know the feeling,'_ Inuyasha thought to himself, bending down to pat her back. "As I said, I'll be back. I'm even bringing a new friend for Mom and Dad. I'm sure he'll play with you."

Koharu slowly brought her head up to look at him. "_Play _with me?" She sounded absolutely offended. Her hands withdrew themselves from Inuyasha's apparel as if they had just been poisoned, stung or repelled by some unknown being. "So I'm a _child,_ now?"

Inuyasha bit his lip. Wrong move. Woman could get so emotional. "No, no! That's not what I meant!"

"A worthless child slave to an arrogant half-demon and his human-despising half-brother!" She started balling again. "What, do I come off as some bothersome kid to you, Inuyasha?"

"Your whining is giving Lord Sesshomaru a headache, girl!"

Koharu froze in mid-sentence. Her mind suddenly went blank. She painstakingly turned around to see who the speaker was. But instead of Sesshomaru, as she thought it might be, in his place was his tiny green advisor, Jaken. Koharu forced a strained smile. "Master Jaken, what a pleasure—"

He ignored her completely and waddled over to the first chair on the right side of the table. Because he was so small, it was almost impossible to handle things himself. Jaken wanted to pull the wooden seat out from underneath the thing but was lacking the necessary strength in order to do it. Easily frustrated, the imp forfeited the battle with hardly a fight to offer, and turned to Koharu. He tapped his foot impatiently against the shining wooden floor, until it reached the speed of a hummingbird's heartbeat. Koharu just stared at him, confused as well as lost.

Jaken grinded his teeth together. "Well, pull out the chair for Lord Sesshomaru! He'll be coming any moment! Go on," he snapped.

This caused Koharu to automatically spring forward, out of fear of getting beaten and speedily assisted him. While she was at it, Koharu disappeared behind the grand kitchen door and produced a noticeably smaller stool for Jaken to use. She hugged it to her chest and placed it down to the left of Inuyasha. Inuyasha shot his head up at her and wrinkled his nose. Why there? Why did that irksome little toad have to sit next to _him_? God knows they both detested one another!

Koharu sweat dropped and fell back onto her knees at Inuyasha's feet. Inuyasha sighed remorsefully, seeing how vulnerable she felt all the time, constantly being judged by the harshest people he knew—with the exception of his parents. Oh, he could relate! Inuyasha stared at the far end of the place setting, surprising longing for his ramen again. Perhaps he needed to appreciate Koharu's services a bit more, especially since she worked so hard to please him. Inuyasha was about to get up and retrieve the heavenly goodness when Jaken's shrill, disgusting voice traveled through the air.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" He sounded as happy as a little boy on Christmas who had just been given his first bike.

Sesshomaru appeared then responded with a nod his way before pushing past the bewildered Koharu to get to his spot at the table. He did so with such unhuman force that it sent her tumbling unkindly into its pointed edge. Curse her and her poor balance! Koharu soon heard a piercing scream which seemed to resound off the well adorned walls of the dining room. It took a while before Koharu realized that the scream was her own. Her forehead suddenly felt warm, and the wisps of hair surrounding her bandana felt damp. She brought her fingers up to her skin and glided them over the wet area. Something was gradually sliding down the bridge of her nose and when it hit her lap, Koharu was horrified to find out what it was. A droplet of blood had now soaked through her clothes. And as each second rolled by, everyone sat in awe—well, Sesshomaru looked rather dull— as the droplet soon become the plural form of the word. Koharu wanted to scream again but Jaken smacked her heatedly across the face.

"You silly child! Stop overreacting! It is nothing but an insignificant flesh wound!"

Inuyasha shot up from his place and punched Jaken square on the head. He gawked incredulously at how insensitive the dwarf could be, but truly, he wasn't that astounded by it. In fact, Inuyasha expected a similar reaction, and that only made Jaken all the more repugnant. The hanyou watched in silent satisfaction as Jaken rubbed the newly formed egg-bump on his skull.

But instead of getting angry with his opponent, Jaken merely turned to Koharu and spat, "Did you prepare Lord Sesshomaru's breakfast?"

Outraged for the last time, Inuyasha grabbed Jaken firmly by the shirt collar, threatening to cut off his wind pipe. For a moment, Inuyasha saw a tinge on fear flash in Jaken's eyes, and had to restrain himself from grinning.

"Can't you see you've hurt her?" He whispered icily, making Jaken tremble; a river of sweat flowing down his frog-like skin. "You bastards…" And he threw Jaken to the ground with a savage blow. From the corner of his amber eye, Inuyasha caught Koharu mouthing fluidly, the words, 'thank you.' Without giving a sign of recognition, Inuyasha turned on his bare heel, to the kitchen door. He placed his hand on it and leaned his body weight onto the entrance— just about the time Sesshomaru decided to speak.

"Where are you going, Inuyasha?"

"To get your damn breakfast, smart ass," Inuyasha responded without turning to look at him

"Do _not _speak to Lord Sesshomaru that way, you close-minded—"

"That's all right, Jaken," Sesshomaru cut in, "my little brother can say what ever he wants. But Inuyasha," there was a sour pause and the youkai continued in a slightly happier mood, "isn't that the servant's job?" He extended his arm towards Koharu, who blinked horrified. She was in too much pain to work.

Inuyasha twirled around so quickly that he looked like a silver blur of hair. "Well, obviously our servant who would cover the job is in no condition to do so…thanks to _somebody_!"

"Are you saying that I hurt the girl on purpose?" He sounded thoroughly amused. But Inuyasha didn't have to respond for him to know the answer. Sesshomaru started to descend towards him, "Humans…such weak creatures." He started to smile once he heard Inuyasha produce a small growl from under his breath. When Sesshomaru smiled, it was usually over something that held no happiness at all. It was a _bad_ sign.

Sesshomaru then began to stride from the dinning room. Jaken followed after him like a lost puppy.

"Wait! Where are you going? Don't you want breakfast? Come back here!"

"The sight of blood disgusts me. I've lost my appetite." Sesshomaru then disappeared into a shadowed corridor. "Good luck on your journey, little brother…"

Inuyasha stared off into the darkened hallway for a moment in absolute astonishment. He stood, back up against the door to the kitchen, in a dazed state before Koharu's moans of discomfort met his ears. He snapped out of his meditation and ran to her side. Koharu was mindlessly poking at her forehead, still in shock from the puddle of blood around her to her sides. Her face had drained to white long ago and the terror that she would be left alone with Sesshomaru, for who knows how long, had, unfortunately, returned. Koharu prayed to god that she wouldn't go into convulsions from it.

"You see," she tried to yell, but her voice came out as nothing but hoarse, crackly syllables. "You're leaving me alone with him! _Why_ are you leaving me alone with him?" Koharu started to lightly give Inuyasha a series of punches in the chest. Never mind that they had no effect on him, Inuyasha thought it was best to let her cry.

"I'm taking you to my room; you can rest there while I'm away." Inuyasha mumbled, picking her up bridal style and securing Koharu's arms tightly around his neck.

Koharu blushed and looked down towards her dangling feet.

Inuyasha turned the corner and strode down another passageway. It was a hall other than the one that Sesshomaru had just taken.

"You're robe…I'm making it all bloody." Koharu observed as Inuyasha found his room and turned the brass knob to enter it.

"Feh, whatever…" He held her tightly to him with one strong arm and then pulled back the covers to his bed with the other. He then gently placed her down on the bed spread.

"Hey, Myogua!" Inuyasha called, sitting Indian style on the soft red rug that furnished his chamber, "it's you're lucky day!"

For a short while, everything was still. Then an almost microscopic flea demon came hopping in and onto the half-demon's shoulder. "Master Inuyasha?" He took a seat. "How can I be of service? Are you ready to depart?"

"NO!" Koharu swung upright in the bed and positioned herself onto her left arm. Her wide, frightened eyes focused on Myogua like a hawk eyeing a mouse. "Inuyasha has decided to let another servant find this Miroku—"

"Lie down!" Inuyasha said sternly; Koharu fell back onto the pillows.

Myogua scratched the side of his head with one of his six hands. "Master Inuyasha, are we not going?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "Of course we're going!"

"But the young girl has said—"

"She doesn't want us to go, Myogua!" He leaned onto his right foot and stood up as a hastily as he had sat down. Inuyasha stood at the side of the bed and pointed briefly to Koharu, "That's why."

Myogua looked. "Again? That brother of yours!" he complained, leaping onto the nightstand next to Inuyasha's sleeping place. Koharu suddenly felt as if she was being uncomfortably examined. "Oh, your father will hear of this." He paced back and forth on the table and then stopped to look at the child. "I hope Sesshomaru's hatred for humans goes away, my lady. You certainly don't deserve this."

She clasped her hands together, "Please, please don't make Inuyasha go! I'm alright, really! I just want Inuyasha to stay!"

Myogua traveled to her forehead and began to such out any blood that he thought might be infected. He paused in his feeding to answer with a, "That is entirely up to Master Inuyasha. But if it helps, your blood is most delicious."

She smacked him off of her. "Thank you," she said bitterly.

A flattened Myogua floated to the ground. "You're…welcome…"

Koharu 'humph'ed and turned her back towards them.

"Hey, don't be like that. Let him suck the rest of the blood away." Inuyasha reached down to rub her arm but she tore it away, viciously.

"You hate me." It was a statement, not a question.

"Stop being stupid!"

"Then why are you still leaving?" Koharu shouted at him, surprising Inuyasha. Who knew that voice could come from such a small body?

He was caught off guard. Inuyasha didn't know how to respond to that so he compensated with saying nothing at all.

"I just have to, Koharu. I promise, if Sesshomaru does anything else to you while I'm away, I'll rip out his guts and put them in a bowl—"

"Nice imagery." Myogua gulped.

"Shut up! …Koharu, hey— maybe you'll even like this Miroku guy. I won't be you're favorite anymore…"

"I highly doubt that." Koharu mumbled into her pillow. She lifted her head up to reveal wet, tear-stains that had left their streaks on her cheeks.

"You never know…" He reached in to embrace her not expecting a hug in return. But when she did, Inuyasha smiled to himself. When the two broke apart, Inuyasha bid Koharu a farewell and signaled Myogua to come along. Koharu waved to them dreadfully from the bed, still not sure if she could handle being alone with Sesshomaru, but she knew she had no choice. Koharu pulled the covers over her head until she heard the faint clicking of the lock behind her. Then she allowed herself to cry some more.

* * *

"Master Inuyasha! It's been raining on and off for the past fourteen days, you are not wearing the hat your father gave you, and on top of it all…I believe we are lost." Myogua pleaded with Inuyasha to listen to him, but the stubborn dog brushed him off his nose and walked a little further on up the dirt road.

"We ain't lost!" Inuyasha huffed.

"But if you would only ask for directions!" Myogua rolled onto the ground. The weight of his backpack was holding him down. He kicked his legs widely in the air, attempting to conquer a sit-up and end up on his butt. "Please, Master!" Throwing the light blue sack across his back again, Myogua moved on.

When it rained, the new smell of the air appealed to the senses. The light grey sky brought attention to the trees and shrubs making all plant life seem…a more vivid color of green than usually was allowed. The birds ceased their chirping, and the incessant pattering of rain drops splashing onto a roof or hitting the ground and forming puddles of all sizes, was unexplainably calming. When it rained, the world seemed to slow down.

"Achoo!" Inuyasha sneezed, sniffling mucus back into his nose.

Myogua jumped. "Ah ha!"

Sadly though, when it rained, people tend to get soaked, and those who don't come prepared for the weather, often get colds.

"You're getting sick!" Myogua accused in triumph. "Will you wear your father's hat? It will at leas t keep your head warm."

"No."

"But your _mother_ wouldn't want you falling ill!"

"No!" Inuyasha protested after a second sneeze.

"Inuyasha!"

But, as all teenagers are guilty of, most of them ignore the useful advice of their elders. So, Inuyasha tuned out on Myogua's lecture— something about how ignorant he was, and continued walking. The mud felt cool and squishy underneath his bare feet. His rain-slicken, white-silver bangs stuck to his forehead and Inuyasha's drenched clothes clung to his body.

The rain had created a soft mist which was spreading over the ground. Inuyasha found it difficult to see far in front of him. He didn't know whether that was purely because of the rain, or because he _was_ getting sick and it happened to be affecting his vision. Inuyasha rubbed his blurry eyes and tried to focus again.

He exhaled to see a puff of breath float out in front of him. Inuyasha halted in his travels and stood standing in the rain, finally allowing himself to feel that he was freezing. He ran for shelter under the branches of a giant oak tree and rested there, back up against it, sitting with his eyes closed. His legs stretched out in front of him and his head tilted slightly to the left side. Inuyasha jumped an inch off the grass in order to sneeze again. Myogua took this opportunity of his master's weakness to turn Inuyasha into a buffet. Inuyasha's blood was the best tasting, just like his father's. After a moment or two, Inuyasha had had enough and squashed Myogua between his thumb and index finger without the need to open his eyes and see himself do it.

"Master Inuyasha…you are…so cruel…"

"Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled. There was a long stretch of silence before Inuyasha's acute hearing picked up on the soft, delicate cries of women. He opened one amber eye to see a horde of them walking his way. Several men were scattered among the group, but they were mute, just the look of grief was wrought on their faces. Inuyasha slowly stood to observe them, though he was not as easily noticed. This was odd because, usually, a cute boy with dog ears stuck out like a sore thumb. Inuyasha discretely snuck into the mass of bodies and followed without word.

The women had handkerchiefs clutched in their hands, ready to wipe away stray tears. The men appeared to be their husbands. They wrapped their arms around their wives waists and allowed them to rest their pretty heads in the crook of their necks and weep. The men were set on comforting them, yet their eyes seemed a bit red and puffy themselves.

Inuyasha gently pushed his way through the crowd and up to the front. Myogua was just trying his best not to get stepped on, though, from what Inuyasha heard, he was failing. Sudden understanding hit the hanyou as his amber orbs fell upon an ebony casket. It was being carried by four men, two on each side. Walking along with them, an older man strode at his own pace. He was not in a rush to join the others, although he looked like he would be a rather jolly fellow, sort of like a Santa Claus, if not for the circumstances. He was pleasantly plump, had a round, shiny bald head, and a rosiness to his cheeks that made him appear drunk. His black robes consumed his body and his pudgy hand was clasped over his mouth in mourning. Inuyasha shot forward for a closer look.

"Nanami…Nanami, you were such a good girl. You finally had the life you desired. Look at all who've come to mourn you." The man looked over his shoulder towards everyone and then, his black eyes noticed Inuyasha, who gazed at him with an embarrassed look in his face. The man raised an eyebrow at Inuyasha, whose red robes in a sea of black were even more humiliating than his dog ears and oddly colored hair. The elder waved for him to meet him at his side. Inuyasha obeyed.

"I'm sorry; I just was interested to know what caused…_this_." Inuyasha whispered, surveying the area once more.

"A death, my boy. A death." Turning his head to look at his acquaintance, the oldest of the pair made sure that he wasn't going to exceed the casket once his eyes were off the road. It would be rude to stride so quickly, even if it were a simple foot or two, out in front of his depressing party. He wished to blend in, not stand out. At that thought, he stole a glimpse at Inuyasha

'_Well, of course I can tell that someone died_,' Inuyasha thought, but said nothing.

Well, that is, until he sneezed.

People glared.

"It seems you have a small cold…what is your name, son?"

"Inuyasha," the dog answered lowly

"Inuyasha…" he confirmed, "Well, you may call me Mushin."

Inuyasha nodded and then asked the obvious question, "Who died, old man?"

Mushin twitched at his newfound title, studying the casket in deep thought. "A close friend of mine has passed on. She was very beautiful, Nanami Houshi. Most everyone she came in counter with loved her…" His voice trailed off into a whisper, "Miroku should have been here. May god curse—oh, not curse…but maybe just—"

Inuyasha's eyes widened to the size of milk saucers. He ran in front of Mushin, which prevented him from walking any further. "Did you say Miroku?"

Mushin gazed at him dumbly. "Yes, Miroku was Nanami's son."

"Why isn't he here? It's his mother's funeral!"

But he could tell Mushin was wondering the same exact thing. Instead, Mushin babbled about the past. "When he was around eleven years of age, Miroku left Nanami a note, which said to forget about him… he ran away." He rubbed the back of his head, uneasily. "It was a sad day, even for Nanami. She was finally ready to be the kind of mother that Miroku wanted—"

"Do you know where he is, now?" Inuyasha sounded urgent.

Mushin blinked. "Last I heard, Miroku was somewhere outside the borders of Paris."

"Master Inuyasha, we don't even know if this is the right Miroku. Why travel all those miles, while you still have such a cold, only to find out that we have the wrong man?" Apparently, Myogua had hopped back onto Inuyasha's shoulder when he wasn't looking.

"Because," Inuyasha spat, "how many guys these days have the name Miroku? Really, Myogua, use some common sense!"

"I was just being concerned for you, Inuyasha…" Myogua mumbled irritably.

Mushin was now thoroughly interested and decided to cut in on a possible argument. "What business do you have with Nanami's son?"

'I'm sorry, there's no time to explain!" And despite how horribly sick Inuyasha felt, he _whooshe_d passed Mushin so fast, that it left the poor man dizzy.

Whispering spread like wildfire from behind him.

Mushin went deep red and wasn't sure whether he was perspiring or if it was just the showers. "What are you all doing? Let's keep walking! Go on! Don't you know it's rude to stare?"

So they resumed their mourning.

* * *

"Achoo!"

'I…I…I don't care anymore!"

"Myogua, stop being a girl."

"I can't help it! I have the right to care about your health! Why, your mother would die with worry if she knew—"

"Mother's not here! Now, quiet or I'll squash you!"

Silence.

The rain appeared to be falling harder than before, making it almost impossible to see next to _anything_ **_anywhere_** near you.

"We should stop, Inuyasha. As your friend and advisor, I'm telling you to rest."

"There's a tent just a bit further along. That much I can still…can still…ACHOO!"

"You sneezed on me." Myogua said flatly, wiping himself off. Not that it mattered, he was soaked anyway.

Inuyasha sniffled. "Yeah, well…you deserved it."

When the two arrived at the tent, they realized that it was actually a lot bigger than it had appeared. It was rather deceiving. Inuyasha hesitantly reached out to open the entrance and slip inside. A stray beam of pale light illuminated the inside and Inuyasha fled out, back into the rain.

"Why aren't we going in? It's freezing out here!"

"We can't just walk in, idiot! The place belongs to someone!" For some strange reason, Inuyasha's heart was pounding. He slid the curtain away and peeked inside.

"Master Inuyasha!" Myogua begged, shivering done to his bones.

"Fine, Fine!" And Inuyasha bravely stepped in clinging to the sides of the tent wall.

The insides were uncharacteristically splendid for a thing that was set up on the side of a road. It was furnished with rich red fabric that draped from each high corner of the tent. It looked like…was it silk cushions that lined the floor? Most likely used for sitting, Inuyasha assumed. There was a small table in the center of the area, where a bouquet of deep red roses were nicely arranged and a series of alluring candles were glowing softy all around. They created the feeling of warmth on a cold day. Inuyasha stepped further in, nearly slipping over sheets of music paper that were dispersed over near the table (which now, Inuyasha noticed, had a violin on top of it, too). He bent down to pick up the music and stack it neatly onto the table, when something, or rather, _someone_, caught his eye.

He sat there, writing music upon parchment, dressed all in black with an air of majesty about him. On his face, he wore a white half-mask, which made Inuyasha even more curious than he already was. The man didn't look up, he just kept scribbling. Inuyasha almost felt invisible to him. He didn't seem to notice his presence.

And then he sneezed. God, he always sneezed. And it never failed to draw attention.

Cobalt eyes met amber ones.

At first the man didn't say anything, which made Inuyasha's stomach turn. He felt so uncomfortable. So he broke the silence with a stupid, "I'm Inuyasha," and then smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand.

The young man continued to stare. As he stood, his black cloak billowed around him with such mystery that it made Inuyasha cringe.

"What brings you to my home?" he asked. If it was possible to sound kind yet intimidating at the same time, he had certainly mastered the skill.

Okay, maybe if Inuyasha just…got to the point. "I came out of request from my father, Lord of the Western lands." When the god-like boy offered the hanyou a seat out of hospitality, Inuyasha sat obediently. His company laughed; taking note that Inuyasha was a dog demon who obeyed so intensively. Inuyasha blushed, realizing this.

"So, are you Miroku Houshi?" Inuyasha began.

"I am."

"Then will you come back to the palace with me? I hear you have talent. You see, my mother is not well and I think some sorcery would lighten her spirits and do her some good."

"I don't think so." Miroku said simply, reaching over the table to grab his violin.

"What?"

"I don't think I'll come with you." Miroku then proceeded to coax a beautiful sound out of the instrument, oblivious to Inuyasha's enraged expression. How could he be cast off so easily? This guy had nerve!

"But…do you know how long I've looked for you? I've come all this way!" Inuyasha choked, having the sudden sensation to ring Miroku's neck. He got on his feet, nearly knocking over the furniture that it made Miroku laugh quietly to himself.

"Don't we have quite a temper, Inuyasha?" he chuckled, watching as his visitor bared his fangs at him.

"You fucking bastard! You ARE coming with me!" Inuyasha demanded, hands clenched into fists, so tight that his knuckles turned white.

"And what will I get in return? What will I get for my services?"

Inuyasha calmed down a bit.

"Don't look so relaxed," Miroku mused. "I have yet to consider the rewards." The violin played another note and then died off all too quickly. His lids closed as Miroku lost himself in the music.

Another sneeze. "Wealth, Praise, Adventure…"

These words he was rattling off were nothing but mindless babbles to the musician. He continued to listen with little interest, until…

"Power. You'll have power." Inuyasha pointed out, grinning as he watched Miroku's eyes snap back open.

"Power, huh?"

He had him now.

"Oh, tons of it!"

Miroku rested the violin down. "And who do I perform for?"

"My mother."

Miroku stood and walked over to a group of shelves that dominated one side of the tent. The shelves were piled with bottles of all kinds, with odd names on faded labels. Miroku had to look at them for a while before selecting a tiny green vile and tossing it to Inuyasha. He caught it swiftly in one hand and then held it up in front of his face to examine it.

"It's medicine; it will cure that cold of yours. Take it before we leave."

Inuyasha gazed at him, and then to the bottle of unknown substance. "You mean…?"

"I like you Inuyasha. I have a strong feeling that we will be good friends someday." He leaned over to get his instrument case from underneath one of the shelves. Then he snapped it open and delicately went to get the violin. "Perhaps this will be good for me as well as your mother."

Inuyasha didn't understand what Miroku meant but went along with it. Taking one last look at the vile, he popped off the cork and gulped it down daringly. Hopefully, it wasn't poison. But after discovering that he hadn't keeled over and died, Inuyasha ruled out the toxic theory. In fact, he nose was beginning to unclog and Inuyasha's vision became clearer.

"This…this stuff is amazing!"

"I know…" Miroku replied, leaving Inuyasha flabbergasted as he exited the tent.

* * *

**A/N**: Done! Was it good? It's been awhile and I worked really hard on it, lol. Reviews make me update faster.

For the next two chapters, as a warning, there will be the slightest, SLIGHTEST hint of Miroku/Koharu, so don't kill me, San/Mir fans! In fact, it will be so slight; you probably won't even notice it!

Christine


End file.
